Method of operating electric railways.



No` 706,219.4 Patented Aug. 5, |902. c. a. CAMPBELL.

METHDD 0F OPERATING ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

(Application filed May 6, 1902.) (No Model.)

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UTTn STATES PATENT OFFICE. A

CHARLES R. CAMPBELL, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y.

METHOD OF OPERATING ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 706,219, dated August 5, 1902.

Application led May 6,1902. Serial No. 106.170. (No model.)

T0 LZZ whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES R. CAMPBELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, borough of Richmond, in the State of New York, have invented, made, and applied to use a new and useful Method of Operating Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

Figure l is a diagrammatic view illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 vis a separate enlarged view of my improved double solenoid.

My improvements relate to electric railways wherein the electric force is communicated to the car-motor by a lineal conductor commonly in the form of a third rail, which is divided into sections insulated from each other, whereof only the section occupied by the car or cars for the time being requires to be electrically active, the remainder of the railway lying dormant.

The object of my invention is to institute a new method for sending cars in either direction over the same track, wherein the` mode of directing the operative current is such as to complete its circuit independently of the motor carried by the traveling car. This differs from prior inventions for the same purpose, the prevailing methods being such as to require the motouear as a necessary part of the circuit.

To enable others skilled in the art to practice my invention, I will proceed to describe the same, referring to the annexed drawings, wherein" Figure lis a diagram in illustration of a mode of applying my invention to use on a sectional third-rail railway, shown as in sections P P2 P3, tbc.,insulated fromeach other. W is the electric feed-wire conveying the power-current from the generating source to the sectional third rail. `Each rail-section is connected with a group of switches worked by suitable magnets, preferably in the form of solenoid-coils. As here shown, the solenoids are single and double acting, respectively, the latter comprising duplex magnets, and each solenoid has a core-armature playing back and forth therein, one of which for convenience is here arranged to move vertically and the other horizontally. The vertical solenoids R R2 R3 are single-acting, being electrically actuated in one direction onlythat is, when lifting their armature, which when denergized falls by gravity. The hori- Zontal solenoids are double-acting- In this instance there are two coils S and S2, which are independent of each other; but their armatures are united byan insulator I. They are balanced as to gravity, and hence may be positively and electrically operated in opposite directions. Each solenoid R R2 R3 is provided with cross-arms or otherwise adapted for contacting with terminal points to form two switches-one for opening and closing-the course of the power-current to the third rail and the other for opening and closing the divisionary current over a route which is changeable to a separate grounding, according to the direction the cars are to run, going or coming.

By divisional-y is meant'a shunt or portion split off the working current and inde? pendently grounded immediately upon operating means for switching in the working current to the third rail of one section and breaking the like shunt of a previous section and without at any time being used for active purposes to take part in operating the motor of a traveling car. 4

The duplex magnets S and S2 and their switches are for determining and reversing the direction in which the divisionary currents shall be grounded, to the right or left, according to the direction the cars are run, whether going or coming. These double solenoids :represent the use of aplurality of magnets arranged to operate a number of electrical switches at one movement.

The armatures of the duplex solenoids or magnets S and S2 are adapted by cross-arms or otherwise to contact with terminal points and form multiple switches for changing the course and direction of the divisionary current, and said terminals `have each their own wiring to form separate pathways for the course of the divisionary (to the right or left) to ground. For operating these switches supplementary currents are used, which are in-4 dependent of that which drives the cars. For this purpose Y Y2 are special wires leading respectively to opposite coils of the double solenoid, over one or the other of which wires an independent current is sent for momentarily energizing one or the otherof the double IOC solenoids to shift the contacts, with their respective switch connections, and to change the' route and direction of the divisiona'ry current., completing their own circuits by independent groundings, as at X X. The course of the working or power current to the third rail P' P2 P3 for driving the cars is from the feed-wire XV by a branch Q to terminal point K, thence to a terminal K3 of a wire O to the third rail. This course depends on closing a circuit between points Kand K3, which at the outset is done by a manual switch until automatically served by switch O', actuated by solenoid-coil R. The holding of switch O closedautomatically is done by maintain- 'ing its armature in the higher and energized position, and this is effected by means of a divisionary or shunt, as described, having a changeable route, and by the route of which ,shunt to a grounding, forward or back, de-

pends the direction the insulated sections of the third vrail will be successively energized.

I The divisionary current is here obtained by divertinga portion of the working current Hfrom Ithe wire O, and which divertedv portion is led through a branchwire K to energize solenoid-coil R and then passes out and follows a wire II to a terminal point c, part of one of the switches controlled by the double solenoid b. Before operation an independent current is sent over the course through the special wire Y and branch t to the solenoidcoil S2 of the double solenoids, throwing the armatures thereof to the right-hand position, as shown. With the car on rail-section P2 and-going to the right, and assuming for the moment that this section is dormant and that the coil R2, carrying the switch O', is denergized with-its armature in its lower position,

.leaving the switch O open, this rail-section would be energized initially by closing the circuit between Kand K2, as by a'hand-switch 02,'al1owing the power-current to Iiow into the rail-section P2 by the wire O. At the same time fa shunt-current from O energizes solenoidcoil R2 by wire K. Previous to the moment of energizing rail-section P2, as aforesaid, the independent current following Y to coil S2 of the double solenoid has insured the groundpower-current having entered rail-section P2.

and energized coil R2, as previously described, it now passes to its independent grounding by the following course: From the feed-wire O and Wire K, energizing-coil R2, and passing thence through wire H to point c, by switch to'a, and thence by wire V3 to point e, by switch to 7" and through wire G, where it meets the grounding-switch N of the solenoid-coil R3. This coil not being yet energized, the armature rests in its lowest position, permitting the divisionary or shunt current, by the wire N, to ground at X3 under section P3, next to receive the car. This condition obtains so long as the car continues moving over rail P2 going to the right. Nowv while moving from section P2 to section P3 it next becomes necessary to energize rail-section P3 and denergize rail-section P2. is done by the usual shoe-contact carried by the car and resting on the third rail passing over the space from rail P2 to P3, whereby it bridges over the insulation between them, when the vpower-current flows into section P3 and follows down the wire O and wire K, energizing coil R3, causing the core thereof to rise, closing switch O', at the same time opening switch N', the grounding-switch' of the divisionary or shunt current of solenoid R2 of rail-section P2 thus causing the armature of R2 to drop, opening switch O of that solenoid, and by thus cutting oft' the power-current through wire O to section P2 causing this section P2 to become denergized. It will hence be clear that no section can be energized without denergizing the preceding section or sections. The rail-section P3 by the rise of the core of coil R3, as just described, and the di- Visionary or shunt current of this coil R3 having been grounded in course, as previously laid out in energizing the preceding section,

the same operation is repeated as the carl passes from section to section going to the right. 3

It will now be in order to explain the moving of the carin the reverse direction. With the car now resting upon section P3, we will now describe the going of the carto the left. A current is lirst sent over the special wire Y2 by wire u to and energizing coil S- ofy the double solenoid, throwing the core-armature `of the ydouble solenoid to the left and the l cross-arms thereon to the position as shown in dotted lines. This operation opens switches v c a and f e and closes switch-contacts c with b, connected by Wire B' to e, one of the terminals of wire V3; also closes switch-contacts f d, and by wire A to a, the other terminal ofwire V3, and under P2. It is next necessary to open communication between the feed-wire W with rail-section P2, for which purpose the switch O must be closed. This is done automatically by the act of the This Ioo

IIO

shoe on the car passing from rail-section P3 i to P2, such action bridging over the insulation between the two sections and causing the current in section P3 to pass by way of the shoe into rail P2, down wire O, and by Wire K energizing solenoid-coil R2, then passbeing denergized and said switch N closed, it follows by wire N to ground at X' under section P. The coil of solenoid R2 now being energized,as previously described, this operation closes switch O', allowing the power-current to flow to rail-section P2. The same action opens switch N of coil R2, which being the grounding-switch of the divisionary or shunt current of solenoid R3, denergizes said coil R3, opening switch Oand cutting 0E the power-current, thereby denergizing rail-section P3. This operation is repeated as long as the car passes from section to section going to the left.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that the divisionary or shunt current is a portion of the power-current which instead of passing to the car-motor is diverted to energize the solenoid-coils R and then independently grounded in the manner as described, and at no time is it used in passing through or assisting in the movement of the car.

The wires Y or Y2 are electrified by closing a circuit with either of the rail-sections P P2 P3 or any of the wires Q, O, or V by switches, contacts, or other suitable means. The groundings are returned to the starting-point through the road-bed rails or by direct wirin g.

In order to provide against damage from overcharging or short-circuiting at the sectional conductor or rail P P2 P3, branch Q, wire O, or otherwise, I provide a local lblowout or fuse-wire K2, one for each section of the railway, arranged between the feed-wire W and the rail-conductor P, in this instance placed on branch Q. When thus arranged, the action of such blow-out has the effect of intercepting the liow of the working current to the conductor P and denergizes that section, thus preventing accidents from overheating, zc., while the other sections remain operatively intact.

The manual switch O2 normally stands open and is thus adapted to be temporarily closed at will, as before described. Itis also useful in case of an unseen emergency interrupting the power-current, as by the accidental dropping of the armature of solenoid R or its refusal to work or otherwise, when connection may be artifically established between points K' and K3 to complete a circuit.

I claim as my inventionl. The method of operating electricallydriven cars in either direction, consisting in leading a power-current along the line, di- Vertin ga portion of the power-current to form a divisionary yshunt controlled by switches for use in fixing the direction the cars shall take, going or coming, leading two supplementary currents along the line independent of but paralleling the power-current for mo mentar-ily energizing one or the other of the double solenoids, providing a changeable route for such divisionary, and controlling by switches the grounding of said shunt independently toward the right or left.

2. The method of electrically operating moe tor-cars in either direction over the same track, consisting in leading a power-current along the 1ine,divertin ga portion of the powercurrent to form a divisionary or shunt for use in fixing the direction the cars shall take, leading two supplementary currents along the line independently' of but paralleling the power-current for momentarily energizing one or the other of the double solenoids, providin g a changeable path for such divisionary current controlled by switches, grounding said shunt independently through its own switch toward the right or left, whereby the route of such divisionary to ground forward or backward determines the direction the car shall take, as set forth.

CHARLES R. CAMPBELL.

Witnesses:

EARLE H. SMITH, MARX L. HAsLEHURsT. 

